


Dero's Phoenix

by DarkAlchemistNinja, Kinoink



Category: Original Work
Genre: Love at First Sight, M/M, Naga, Phoenixes, Rock Band, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-17
Updated: 2016-11-17
Packaged: 2018-08-09 09:43:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,653
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7796950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkAlchemistNinja/pseuds/DarkAlchemistNinja, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kinoink/pseuds/Kinoink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>While searching for a pyrotechnic expert for his band, Dero hires Xanthus, and soon discovers that not only is Xanthus good with fire, but he's also the perfect person to warm Dero's cold blood.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Job Interview

**Author's Note:**

> First time posting a completely original thingy on here... hope you like. ^^

The cheers erupted as he finished his last song. It was almost deafening. He looked at the seething crowd before him and waved, bidding them thanks for coming to see him. He tossed his scarf end over his shoulder and exited the stage. He set his guitar aside and took off his headset, handing the device to his manager, who was spouting at him at a rapid clip in high-speed Russian. 

Dero sighed. "not now." he managed to mutter, brushing past him and making his way towards his trailer. three encores that night. he was exhausted. "any luck finding our pyrotechnician?" he asked one of his staff. One of them nodded. "there's someone waiting for you in your trailer." he said. This was all done in Russian, mind you. 

Dero smiled. He was a very attractive man. His eyes were golden, almost serpent-like, he wore snake fang jewelry and was quite well built, very lean and muscular. His hair was black at the roots, then blonde with red tips, mostly short down to the tops of his ears but there were two strands on either side of his face that were down to his shoulders. 

He wore that night, a red scarf with gold thread running through it, a black shirt with gold thread accents and red sleeve cuffs, black pants with gold thread and a red belt, and gold knee-high boots with black fur lining and red laces. He went to his trailer and opened the door, hoping the visitor had the sense to leave his two pets alone; two Egyptian asps, still very poisonous. "allo?" he said as he stepped inside. 

In the trailer a red haired individual was sitting on one of the super soft couches. His hair was cropped short enough to tickle just his hairline, long bangs in an asymmetrical cut framed his face, it wasn't smooth it was ruffled untidily. His complexion was fair, but it edged to a small shade of tan, and his eyes were a striking olive green color. 

He was dressed in a sleeveless top that was cropped open at the bottom hem that raised just above his navel and hung in the back like a bit of a "skirt", his pants were a simple brown color and he wore leather sandals. He was also wearing jewelry like an arm cuff made of gold studded with rubies and a few bangles and bracelets and from his ear was a golden orange feather with a blue centered eye. He looked up, setting down the bottle of water on the table one of his assistants had offered him. "Hey." he greeted shortly.

He shut the door behind him and grabbed a water from the mini fridge of his own. He twisted it open and sat across from the fellow, his eyes drifting over his form and noting he was fairly attractive, but that really had nothing to do with the job situation. He held out his free hand in greeting. "I am Dero... you are... Interezted in ze ... pyro... pyrotechnic ... pozition?" he asked him with a sincere and charming smile, stumbling over the large English word a bit. "vhat are your... talenz?" he asked, looking over at the two serpents coiled in their tank, watching Dero and this new person curiously. 

He shook Dero's hand lightly, his body temperature was really warm like a toasting fire. "Xanthus and yeah I'm interested in the pyrotechnics job. Since I saw the flyer." after releasing his hand he leaned back and crossed his arms a little bit with the clink of his three little bracelets. "My talents...hm..." he shrugged for a moment. "I can sing, I know my way around fires, I'm good with technology, done some furniture refurbishing for a time, and I don't know if it's a talent, but I do a lot of gaming." he smirked just a little charming smirk.

Dero raised an eyebrow. He liked this guys' attitude. He decided to go on a hunch and nodded. "alright zehn. do you mind to travel a lot?" he asked, leaning back and sipping at his water, his eyes never leaving Xanthus' face, he was observing him, the flash of his throat as he breathed, his movements, his eye contact, nothing escaped Dero's gaze. he was a good judge of character and had a very good feeling of this man. 

He looked like Dero, in a manner of speaking. Nothing really in common, but the vibe he got from him was one of someone who did not belong in a normal world. being part of a band, no matter what you did, was certainly not a normal life. Dero guessed he'd get along very well with Xanthu, being a misfit of the natural world himself. 

Xanthus shrugged. "I figured it was about time for me to start traveling around, problem is, I'm running out of money in my pocket to get much further since everything needs food, lodging, clothes, and everything else in between." he replied as he looked at Dero with a cryptic look in his olive shaded eyes, making full contact.

Dero chuckled. "vell.. zis would pay vell, and you'd alvays have place to ztay." he said. "ve get foodz delivered to uz, frezh healthy foodz, zo you can add your favoritez to ze lizt if you wish. you vould get your own trailer, but for travelling ve all share mobile buz. you vould have pyro budget zeperate from pay." he said, offering a smile. "vhat do you zay?" he asked, glancing over at his snakes as they made a noise. He ignored it and turned his full attention back to Xanthus. 

Xanthus blinked a little bit as he tilted his head at the prospect. He thought about it, food brought to him and could be personalized so none of his allergic reactions would end up on there, he'd have his own home where he could rest and travel all at the same time. The money sounded nice, but in the back of his mind, money really wasn't what he cared about. He loved to travel. "Alright." he agreed.

He smiled. "glad to have you." he said genuinely. "vould you care to join me for dinner to zelebrate? I have been told zat zere is vedy good sushi resturant cloze by." he said. "if you like ze sushi zat is." he said with a charming smile. "to zelebrate a zucsezful concert, and to treat you and toazt your new job." He finished off the water. "my treat, of course." 

The red head blinked a bit then he shrugged. "Sushi sounds good, I love fish." he took a glance at the snakes that had been coiled in their cages, they had been quiet for a long time he had wondered what had make them make the noise. Then again if he thought about it deeper, he probably was their enemy somehow. He then smirked at Dero. "Thank you for the opportunity."

he glanced at his pets. they were staring at Xanthus, but both were calm and slowly, in unison they looked at their Master. Dero nodded and they both retreated under a rock, signalling their acceptance. Dero turned back to Xanthus and nodded decisively. "alright zen, come, my car iz out back." he said, getting to his feet. "I vould like to get to know you a bit more." 

he smiled at him. "you zeem... vedy interezting." He led the way from the very comfortable and exotic trailer to a 67 black and silver Chevy Impala parked behind his dwelling. "ve von't bozzer ze ozzers." he said with a nod. "i vill drive. i have been here before... and ve wont be leaving for a few dayz yet... i have one more concert tomorrow." 

Xanthus took one look at the snakes when they retreated under a rock in their cage he quirked an eyebrow. He had seen strange things before, so it wasn't that much of a shock as he followed him out. "Interesting huh?" he wondered, "Never heard that one before." he smirked a little bit. "So you're not a come and go concert group?"

(at this point i couldn't continue writing that damn accent, my apologies people lol)

Dero looked at him. "you are very intriguing." he said. "in a very good way." he shook his head at the question. "no, we usually do at least three concerts in each location on the tour. it seems very unfair to me to only do one and leave, considering people get busy. We are very popular and i dislike people to have to miss work or miss the concert because of a babysitter cancelling. the tickets we sell transfer from show to show so if they miss one, they can come another time. they never expire if they are not used, so if you miss us entirely the next time we come you already have a ticket. The ticket is only good for one show however." as he spoke he unlocked the car and slid inside, waiting for Xanthus to do the same. "it's not far." he said with a smile. "i think you will like this food. very authentic." 

He came in after and crossed his arms, again the clinking sound came from the bracelets on his wrist. After he had gotten himself situated in the car he looked a bit more relaxed. "That's nice of ya, tickets that don't expire but still good for one show." he murmured. "Better than some other cases eh?" he smirked a faint chuckle in his throat.

"yes, and now that we have someone to do the fireworks, it will be even better." he said. "i do love fire... it's so beautiful... so unpredictable... so destructive." he smiled this time, showing teeth. he seemed to have rather elongated canines that were a different color than the rest of them. a bit paler. but the flash was gone in an instant as he started the car and drove them to the restaurant. 

"it's also so very warm... you may have noticed that my trailer was a bit warm... i am ashamed to say i get cold very easily... it's one of the reasons i left Russia." he said. He drove a short distance before pulling into a parking lot of a rather nice looking sushi place. 

Xanthus gave a smirk as he settled back chuckling in the back of his throat again. "Yes, fire is indeed beautiful, unpredictable, and destructive. But it gives off the most tremendous heat that is comforting. It's what keeps us cozy in winter." 

he shrugged. "It's okay if your body temperature is too cold, mine's too high for its own good. It's like if I touch something like wood it'll catch on fire is how I feel like." he looked up when they stopped at the sushi restaurant and licked his lips a bit, stomach urging with a low growl. "Mm."

He nodded. "i noticed." he said quietly. "your handshake felt really nice." he wasn't referring to the firmness of it or anything. He got out of the car and led the way into the resturant. it was a quaint place, clearly off the map as there weren't many customers; which was just fine for Dero, he didn't feel like dealing with screaming fans at the moment. 

His attention was completely captured by Xanthus. They were seated quickly and handed menus. Dero knew what he wanted but spoke to Xanthus. "you can get whatever you want." he said. "we've got no time limit, nor a spending limit." He smiled, and again that flash of inhuman teeth. "i know what i want. but you can take your time. Do you like sake?" he asked. 

Xanthus soon took the menu and closed his eyes. The little off the grid place had an old and authentic Japanese feel to it with rice paper covered sliding doors, wood floors and tables. The seats were more cozy, but that was fine. There was always the sound of knives chopping up meat in the background among the sounds of twanging and soothing strings through the speakers.This to him was really nice. He bolted slightly at the question given to him. "Sake? No, I don't really drink."

He nodded. "do you mind if i have a bit?" he asked, ordering a soda for the moment and letting the other peruse the menu as he watched him. He'd known him all of maybe forty-five minutes and for some reason was having trouble keeping his eyes off him. 

Dero forced himself to look away and watch the sushi chefs at work. the last thing he wanted to do was end up fading into his trademark blank stare and make the guy uncomfortable. He would fix an intense stare on someone and fall into his thoughts and just sit there, his snake-like eyes wide open, unblinking, his mind elsewhere. it tended to creep people out.

His crew didn't care about it, but his fans sometimes got that startling surprise during cd signings when he got bored. he could put himself on a somewhat autopilot, but when he did so, his eyes tended to stay open. it could be unsettling. 

Xanthus soon figured out what he wanted when he scanned the items. "Oh, sure you can have some, I'll just have the cola." he told him before he nodded, he'd probably have the omelette sushi, salmon roe, shrimp, and maybe some of the octopus sushi. 

He was starving, he really hadn't eaten since earlier this morning but the bed and breakfast at the hotel didn't have much of the breakfast besides bagels and cold cereal, he had wanted a waffle...but they were out of the mixture. "So, question." he spoke softly as he placed down his order for now. "What's with the snake eyes, fancy contacts?"


	2. The Spark

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sushi?

Dero's attention snapped back to Xanthus. He smiled and shook his head. "no. these are my natural eyes." he said softly. "my grandmother was a... a... Naga i believe the word is." his voice was hushed, he clearly didn't wish to be overheard, but seemingly trusted the other enough to tell him the truth. 

"I have serpent's blood. I've not got it strong enough to transform, but enough to have ice in my veins and speak to snakes..." he showed his teeth, for more than a second this time. the canines seemed a bit clear looking and were a bit longer and pointier than a normal human. "they have no venom. they just look pretty." he said. He ordered some sake and a salmon sashimi plate along with a lobster roll, then handed the waiter his menu. 

Xanthus rose an eyebrow then he couldn't help but chuckle to himself. "You know it's not as strange as you think. Some things like that are common. Me? I'm pretty much an uncommon piece of weirdness." he told him casually then crossed his arms on the table, again the bracelets starting to clink together. 

He had placed his order and licked his lips to also add a lobster roll onto his own. His fingers started to play with a chunky gold bracelet around his other wrist. This one only had a singular good sized ruby cut in a shape crossed between a diamond and a square, the colors seemed to swirl in the light as if flames started to twirl around in it.

Dero shook his head. "no you're not." he said quietly, his gaze drifting to the bracelet. "I think you're beautiful." his gaze danced over the gem, it was entrancing. "My friends told me you have fire in your heart, and feathers coat your soul." 

his gaze went back to Xanthus' eyes. "so I've known since they told me that you were not a normal human. I had a hunch when i felt how warm your skin is. however i would prefer to hear from you." he sipped at his soda and leaned back in the chair. "you are very... special, aren't you." he said softly. 

Xanthus looked at him then to the bracelet around his wrist, seeing that entranced look he gave him a wry smile. "You're right, I'm not human...least not completely." he took a glance around and it looked like the chefs were preparing their meals as they spoke. 

"Like you, I have the blood of an animal, but it was gifted to me even as my parents were both human. I have enough in me to change form and make physical changes to my body." he didn't know why he was talking so much, really he rarely ever did. "Special...isn't the word I'm completely looking for. I prefer "oddball" or the more hateful "freak" for myself."

Dero looked at him, a soft frown gracing his handsome features. "you really prefer such crude labels for you? you're beautiful." he said. He suddenly realized why he was so entranced... He'd only really heard of it once from his grandma... but he knew. He knew why he couldn't take his eyes off of Xanthus. An electric pulse shot through him and made him jerk a bit as their gazes connected once more. 

"whatever animal it is, it must be quite special." he said quietly, trying to ignore his sudden Spark and let it go for the moment, he didn't want to frighten the guy off. Their food came and he let the topic go for the moment, feeling that this was more of a private conversation and the other would give him more information as time went on. He grabbed his chopsticks and began with the sashimi, sipping the sake that came with it to try and calm his suddenly raw nerves. 

When his food arrived Xanthus decided to busy himself instead of answering to the call of being beautiful or special. Perhaps in time he would either reveal his form or he'd reveal his personal appearences, but now was not really the time. When he locked his gaze to Dero's for a brief moment he felt that shocking zap rush through him, he would have thought it was only static electricity if it didn't make his heart suddenly pound in his chest. Picking up the chopsticks himself he started with the omlette sushi and took it in whole as was traditional and groaned quietly. "Mm, good."

He knew that Xanthus had felt that electric shock from the sudden look in his eyes, but said nothing, focusing on his food. Performing took a lot of energy, and he was always starving after a show. It seemed they had similar appetites, for the food seemed to vanish quickly for both of them as Dero seemed to inhale the salmon and go after his lobster roll, considering ordering something else as he got three pieces in and realized he'd still be hungry after finishing it. "mm" he agreed to the soft praise of the food. He could feel his own heart pounding a bit but he was trying to calm himself. 

The omelette had been soft and fluffy on his tongue combined with rice it almost made his toes curl, he had been so used to getting the quickest foods and even the most unhealthiest of meals between salty fries and greasy chicken and burgers, this was a good change and it was anything he could eat which was even more amazing. 

"So." he spoke after taking in his salmon roe sushi and swallowing it, taking in some of the wasabi to clean the bacteria. "Do you always get this hungry after performances?" Damn, would his heart stop pounding? He could practically feel the drumming in his head.

Dero looked up with a bit of lobster poking out of his mouth. He blushed a bit and swallowed. "yeah." he admitted sheepishly. "the heat from the lights makes me sweat, I'm running around all over the stage depending on the song, and i usually end up doing at least two encores... each concert is supposed to go for four hours, i usually end up pushing five or six." 

he ate a piece of pickled ginger and licked his lips, watching Xanthus for a reaction, seeing if the subtle attractive movements would get an unconscious reaction from him. He didn't expect the guy to jump him or anything, he was just testing to see if this was indeed the Spark he was feeling, and not just a delayed side effect from the concert or something. 

"I see, you really put in a lot of work. I'm sure I'm going to just be pressing buttons at the right cues so you'll have a great performance." Xanthus stated easily for himself about ready to take in some of the lobster roll of his own when he stopped, glancing up when he brought that piece of ginger to his lips and he felt himself focus on the licking of his lips and he shivered. Okay, he knew he was gay, but he just didn't think of sitting across from someone feeling weird jolts of electricity go down his spine over someone he just met.

He shook his head. "at first maybe... but you mentioned you sing... so ... maybe sometime i could hear you... then maybe... if things go well... you could... start off my show." he knew he was getting ahead of himself, but that look, that shiver, told him it was the Spark hitting them alright, so he had a feeling Xanthus wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. 

if it was the Spark, then soon Xanthus wouldn't want to be too far away from him, in fact, he'd probably find it almost impossible. Dero would feel the same of course, if he was remembering correctly, that's just how the Spark worked. however, he wasn't going to make the first move. no. he'd wait till the other did so... they had just met, after all. He finished off his lobster roll and decided to order some ootoro. 

Xanthus soon finished up his meal, practically sucking down the lobster sushi and the other various kinds. At first he contemplated ordering more, but then again he didn't want to seem like a pig. As he rubbed his stomach he licked his dry lips reaching over for the mini menu on the table, flipping through it until he found that the store had green tea ice cream and that sounded good to him. 

He glanced at Dero and he decided to order it with two spoons in case his new...boss...friend...co-worker wanted some. "Me...sing for an opening? I think that's barking up the wrong tree for now."

"true, i am talking about far in the future." Dero admitted. "i suppose it is much too soon to talk of such things." he shrugged and began to attack the otoro as it came to him, finishing his sake and smiling at Xanthus warmly. 

He ate another piece of pickled ginger a bit erotically (this time it was not intentional) as it slipped off his chopsticks at a strange moment, but finished. He leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. "that was delicious." he said with a satisfied sigh. He opened his eyes slightly and gazed at Xanthus, the look on his face unintentionally seductive, he was honestly just content. 

He nodded in return and he looked at him following that trail as he ate the ginger erotically intentionally or not he stifled the odd noise that wanted to come out of his throat, shaking it off quickly he went back to listening to the music while he tried to wait for the ice cream he put an order in for though he caught that seductive gaze in the far off look in Dero's eyes that made him swallow hard and groan quietly. Fuck.


	3. Unexpected Sleep-Over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things take a turn for the interesting when Xan ends up spending the night in Dero's trailer.

Dero blinked at the noise, sitting up. "something wrong?" he asked curiously, having no idea how attractive he actually was. The ice cream came and Dero eyed it. it looked good, and he noticed the two spoons, but chose not to comment till the other offered. 

He was constantly stealing furtive glances at different areas on Xanthus' body, but saying nothing. It would be up to the beautiful redhead sitting across from him if he wanted to initiate some form of contact. he was expecting nothing that night, but it depended on how resistant Xanthu was to the Spark. 

"I'm fine." Xanthus replied softly and cleared his throat. "Just tired." he looked at the green colored ice cream that was brought to them, whatever he was feeling deep down he was blaming on his hormones because he had never been in a lot of contact with many people, not cute ones like Dero. 

Wait...cute? Did he just think that? Shit, this feeling was annoying. He worked hard to tamp it down like a nest in his head before looking at him, picking up a spoon to have some of the frozen treat. "Figured we could share, consider it my thanks to you."

Dero nodded. "sure. Thanks." he said with a smile, taking a small bite of it. He would probably have to get out of the situation a bit quickly to avoid making a huge mistake. He ate a bit more of the ice cream and then looked to Xanthus "shall i call for the check?" he asked, stifling a yawn. He was looking forward to curling up on his bed. 

"oh right, till we get your trailer set up, would you mind sleeping in mine? i have an extra bed, so it's not like we'd be sleeping together." he instantly turned pink. "i mean... next to each other. not." he amended sheepishly. "sorry, i'm tired, i don't know where my mind is at the moment. forgive me." his heart had started pounding again and he looked at his hands, feeling his cheeks burn in embarrassment. 

Then his mind suddenly decided to fill his head with images of them cuddling and he let out a soft hissing noise as he tried to shove the images away. 

Xanthus enjoyed his half and groaned with delight. He loved the flavor of green tea (or matcha) on his tongue if his tail feathers were out he swore he would have been curling them with delight. He stopped a little bit when Dero went back to asking about where to sleep. 

"Well it's...probably the only place to sleep at the moment right?" he asked curiously. He felt a strange zap of energy go down his spine at his hiss. "...Um...everything okay?" he asked softly.

Dero nodded. "yeah. I'm fine... just tired." he managed, his tone a bit evasive. He called for the check and paid. "yeah, I've got two beds in my trailer for whatever reason." he said quietly. "one is mine, the other is on the other side of the trailer, it's always made for whenever i have guests... which so far has been never." he stood and pulled out his keys. "come on." he said. 

His tone was tired and it was clear that he was trying hard not to think of something, or say something. He glanced at Xanthus. "you ready to go to bed? We'll have a long day tomorrow trying to figure out what pyrotechnics we can put in with what we have. which isn't much. we'll sort out your budget while we do it so we know what we need to get for you." He seemed to relax a bit talking about work. 

Xanthus blinked a little bit and gave a bit of a yawn, he hadn't realized how tired he was, but with a full belly of fish, rice, seaweed, and ice cream he finally felt tired. "Mm..." he nodded. "...Yeah I'm a bit tired..." his voice became a mere soft murmur as he started to go out. "I see..." he murmured nodding a little bit as he listened to his coming up schedule for work, even if he was blanking out a bit.

Dero got into the car, waited for Xanthus to join him and drove back to the trailer, pondering lots of things in his head. He could already sense the Spark making him want to be closer to Xanthus, but the other seemed elusive, and a bit on the defensive side. He had a feeling it would be a while before the other gravitated towards him, and it would be pure torture for Dero. 

He hoped it wouldn't affect his music or performances. His silence was unusual, considering he usually liked to talk, a lot. Once they arrived back at the trailer, Dero led the way inside, showed Xanthus where he could sleep, checked his pet's thermostat and water levels, and disappeared into the bathroom to shower and change into clean clothes. 

Xanthus had been silent along the way too, he had felt those odd moments as a warmth spread across his chest and he sighed softly almost inwardly relieved when they reached the trailer. He stepped in and took a look at the snakes for a moment after Dero checked the thermostat and water levels, he had no issue with snakes. Bears on the other hand...that was a different story. 

When in the room he set down the large brown sack that carried his essentials and at that moment really felt like a homeless person when he looked at how grungy it looked from the traveling he did. He opened the bag to start digging through the contents from pants to shirts, sometimes sniffing them and tossing the ones that had a bad smell aside. "Shit..." he muttered after a while of digging. "I can't believe I forgot to do my laundry..." he put everything away. This sucked for him if he was just going to show up in the same clothes he wore this night.

Dero emerged from the bathroom just in time to hear the laundry quip. "there's a washing machine and a dryer in the bathroom." he said quietly. He wore a pair of gold-silk pajama pants with a red tie on the front and nothing else. There was a tattoo of some sort on his shoulder, but it was hard to make out from a distance, and his naked torso was no less attractive to look at than his face. well toned and taken care of. 

He looked at Xanthus "we could get you some new clothes and maybe a new bag." he suggested as he climbed into bed. The pants were a bit tight around his firm and well shaped rear as he slipped under the covers. He yawned and rolled to watch Xanthus for a few minutes as he struggled to stay awake. 

Xanthus looked back and felt his face flush red a little bit before looking away, sure Dero looked freaking attractive but he tried to get his mind off of it. "I'll think about it." he murmured as he picked up his bag to go take it with him to the laundry room. 

He rubbed his face a little, he didn't want to end up looking like a charity case in front of him. Walking into the bathroom to start doing his laundry, setting what needed to be washed into the wash and let it run as he walked to the bed again, sliding off his shirt and shook out his hair before starting to get into bed himself.

Dero fell asleep quickly and immediately began to dream... an erotic dream... about Xanthus. It began with him sleeping and suddenly he felt an extremely warm body slide under the sheets with him. At first it was just cuddling, and outwardly Dero made a soft audible 'humm' sound in the trailer, and soon dream Xanthus was kissing his neck from behind and teasing him, and he writhed in the sheets a bit. This was an unfortunate side effect of the Spark. He let out a soft adorable moan that the real Xanthus could probably hear across the trailer and bit his lip, his eyes shut adorably as he gripped the sheets and clung to a pillow. 

Xanthus yawned as he laid down on the bed. He looked over at Dero raising an eyebrow a little bit as he watched him shift and heard him moan softly. "Mm..." he wondered what he was dreaming about, it sounded like that it was a good one considering the way he was shifting and clinging to his pillow. "Hm..." he thought about the weird feeling in the pit of his stomach that twisted a little bit and he pulled his blanket closer to himself just above his nose while his olive eyes watched his company.

Dero shifted again as the dream got more intense, going far more than foreplay rather quickly, his dream partner stripping him of his clothes and teasing him more and more, his whimpers in his sleep becoming more and more erotic sounding, his movements a bit less thrashing and more purposeful, his blanket shifting off of him and revealing a rather large tent in his pants. He panted softly in his sleep; the dream feeling almost too real as the other ravaged him in his dreams. 

Xanthus blinked and his eyes widened slightly when he saw the tent in the other's pants. His face went bright red and he exhaled burying his nose into the comforter. There was a stirring in his stomach and it wasn't sickness it was nerves. Taking a deep breath he shut his eyes tightly to try and force himself to sleep even if he could hear the noises of moans.

Eventually the dream ended, leaving Dero dreamless for a while, till it began again, pretty much exactly the same, and it happened off and on the entire night. He was in a deep sleep, but whenever he dreamed, it was identical. A premonition he wouldn't remember when he woke? perhaps, but more than likely it was just the Spark creating a limited fantasy, considering what he knew about Xan, and fabricating what he wanted to happen. 

Though the problem was with Xanthus when he finally fell asleep he felt something weird slide up against him, or at least so he thought he gave a tiny groan. The body was lean, cool skin, a soft feeling of lips and sharp canines against some spots of his neck. "Mn..." he shifted a little bit with a groan gripping parts of the comforter. 

Xanthus wanted to open his eyes, but couldn't except for his minds eye he sensed that it was Dero, sliding his cool body damp from a shower, it was almost like a snake, sweet grazing of sharper than average canines teasing his skin. Why...why was he dreaming about someone who was practically his boss.

Dero woke early, but lay in bed for a while, alternately watching Xanthus sleep and staring at the celing, contemplating how the hell to get out of bed and into the bathroom to take his morning shower without waking his current roommate; the last thing he wanted was for Xanthus to catch him escaping into the bathroom with a huge hard on, not realizing Xanthus had been privy to most of his first dream and had already seen it. 

He closed his eyes, sighing. He didn't remember any of the dreams, but he had the knowledge that they were probably quite erotic, due to his... morning problem. The sun was just beginning to rise at the moment, and another thing that kept Dero abed was he was nice and warm. usually it took his Manager and one of the sound techs to get him moving, but he didn't exactly want either of them seeing this problem either. 

When the dream faded in and out, changing shapes and ways that Dero was against him. But at the sign of the morning light he felt the light hit just against his eyelids Xanthus twitched and sat up, rubbing his head. What the hell was he dreaming about anyways? He shifted uncomfortably since there was a tightness in his pants. This was embarrassing. "Fucking hell..." he muttered to himself, "Why now...?"

Dero's eyes were closed as he sensed Xanthus stirring. He heard the muttering and decided to pretend to be still sleeping. He sighed and rolled over, his back to the other, keeping his breathing light and steady; he was good at pretending to sleep; it was why it took two to three people to get him moving most mornings. He let out a soft moan as his hand brushed his own hard problem, almost wishing Xanthus would come to him for solace and assistance, but he doubted the other would. at least not at this point in time. 

Xanthus sighed as he walked over to start going to the bathroom, face red. "Oi, Dero." he spoke to him thinking that maybe he could hear him while he was sleeping. "I'm going to be hitting the shower first." he told him before walking to the bathroom to both change out his wet clothes to dry and to take a shower, with crossed fingers to get rid of his problem before Dero would notice.


	4. Cuddle Buddies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dero doesn't like being cold... do you? <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This will now be updated Monthly

Dero could only guess, and probably was right, at the reason for Xanthus needing the shower, and just let him go. He sighed. Oh well. 

There would be other times, he had a hunch. He wasn't really in a hurry to move anyway, despite his problem. In fact, he began trying to solve it right there under his sheets. He snagged some Kleenex and tried to keep himself silent by biting on his arm while Xanthus did presumably the same thing in the shower. 

Xanthus leaned against the tiled walls of the shower, panting softly as he started to touch himself a little and good god he didn't even do this kind of thing since a long time ago when a really hot muscular body used to be against him and that somewhat french voice spoke in his ear. He bit his lip harder. "Ah...fuck..." he muttered, leaning against the shower shivering and started to rub himself, panting and gasping softly. "Ah...nn...fuck..."

Dero was soon finished, cleaned up and sitting up in bed, but he'd now wrapped the warm blanket around himself like a cocoon and had a rather stubborn look on his face. He _really_ didn't want to move. he was comfortable and warm. If he heard the exultations from the shower, he ignored them. 

He was slowly getting into his normal routine of not wanting to get out of bed. He began to go over things in his head. He really didn't want Xanthus' trailer to be ready anytime soon, but he'd have to let the guy go eventually; he figured that he'd be back soon enough. He would give the other a huge budget for pyrotechnics, the closer Dero was to actually being on fire, the better, at least in his mind, so long as he himself didn't actually ignite.

Xanthus sighed in relief as his body shuddered, he had tried to keep it down as much as possible. The water from the shower washing away the white stain splatters. "That hasn't happened in a while." he murmured softly rubbing his head a little bit. Then he picked out a body wash that was sitting on the shelf, pretty sure Dero wouldn't mind so he worked to get himself cleaned up and presentable. 

Once his shower was over he was working on drying off and the dryer buzzed for his clothes. Relieved he started to pull out his clothes and found a golden button up with a black vest and pants, adjusting his hair to make himself look appropriate before he walked out. "Dero, you awake?"

"mpfh" came the mutter from the pile of blanket that was Dero. What he'd actually said was 'yes' but the blanket muffled him. He poked his head out and looked at Xanthus, his glittering gold eyes looking him over. 

"you look nice." he said calmly, clearly unwilling to move. He was comfortable goddamnit. He shifted, but carefully so only his head remained poked out of the huge black down comforter he was nestled in. He probably looked hilarious, but he didn't rightly care. He knew based on the clock that his Manager would be banging on the trailer door relatively soon, and he didn't intend to make it easy on him, as usual. 

Xanthus quirked an eyebrow then smirked as he walked over. "I had a small job as a host before I started moving around again." he sat down on the edge of the bed, crossing one leg over his other looking down at him. "So what are you doing still in bed? Don't you need to go shower or something to get yourself ready before your manager or something gets here?" he asked reaching over to shake his shoulder.

Dero stared at him, as if daring him to try and move his blanket. "my manager knows i dislike getting out of bed." he said flatly. "its warm in here, i don't like leaving my bed in the morning. my manager knows this. it usually takes three cups of coffee and him and two stage hands to convince me to move. i think its the reptile in me. I'm comfortable, so i don't want to move and get uncomfortable due to being chilly." there was an almost dry hiss to his voice, but it wasn't exactly menacing, in fact he looked kinda cute, posturing like that. 

He sighed and shook his head. "Shame I'm not good at cooking, used to know someone who cooked like a dream. Wake and cheer anyone up with the taste of the delicious meal." he chuckled softly to himself then touched the top of Dero's head, ruffling his hair a little bit lightly. "You're like a little kid, not wanting to wake up in the early morning." he stretched then slid off the bed to go investigate on his little snakes to see if they needed anything.

He nearly growled, despite his delight at being touched by Xanthus. "i can wake up fine." he said, sounding a bit poutish. "i just dont' want to leave my warm bed." Neither Asp was visible. "be careful with them, they're not devenomated and one drop of their poison could kill you in about a minute." he cautioned, shifting a bit in concern as Xanthus looked at the snakes. after another few minutes there was a loud knock. 

"Alright Dero, lets get this over with." the door opened and a surprisingly young man walked in holding a cup of to-go esspresso in one hand and a drink carrier of three more cups in the other. "do i need to call reinforcements or are you going to-" he paused, noticing Xanthus "pardon me, i didn't know you had a guest." he said, raising his eyebrow. 

"he's our new pyrotechnician." Dero informed him guardedly, his voice almost bordering on possessive. "i hired him last night. he needs a trailer and i'll deal with his budget later." 

Xanthus didn't seem to mind as he went to eye level with the area where the snakes were still not there. "Hm...I wonder if it is safe to keep a venomous snake..." he muttered more to himself then anything until he heard the loud knock on the door to see the young man he assumed was the manager and nodded his head. "My name is Xanthus Pyralis." he replied in a smooth voice, though he couldn't help but feel surprised at the possessive edge he thought he heard in Dero's voice.

the man chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Dero's tone. "i see. well then, welcome aboard." he said to Xanthus. "my name is Lerus. would you be so kind as to help me pry the young superstar from his blankets?" he asked calmly, setting the coffee down on the counter. "you'll find this is commonplace soon enough, He doesn't like the cold, though i'm sure he's already told you as much." he turned to Dero. "you know damn well the trailer is more than warm enough for you." he said sternly. 

"blanket is warmer." Dero hissed, momentarily forgetting he was attempting to impress Xanthur in his desperation to not be evicted from his comfortable blanket.

Lerus sighed, nonplussed. 

Xanthus walked over quietly and sat back down on the bed poking Dero's face. "Oi, I figured my body temperature is warmer for you." he spoke calmly. "You know compared to a blanket I'm practically like a furnace." he smirked. "So if you're near me you'll still be nice and toasty." he tried to convince the viper out from under his "rock" that was his blanket.

Dero gazed at him. "are you offering to replace my blanket by cuddling?" he asked, his voice somewhere between doubtful and hopeful. He sat up a bit further. He knew Xanthus was warm... most likely warmer than his blanket. 

Lerus watched this with growing curiosity and a bit of amusement, amazed that Dero was responding in that way to someone he'd only met the day before... Dero had never expressed interest in anyone, and here he was seemingly wanting to be coddled by the new arrival. This was indeed interesting. 

The redhead gave a bit of a shrug. "Sure, if it makes you feel better." he muttered to him and then gave a soft yawn and glanced over at Lerus and the coffee he had brought. "Mm...smells good." he muttered softly. Reaching over he ruffled the other's hair, smirking. "If you get yourself around, maybe I'll show you one of my tricks." he suggested to try to make a deal with Dero.

Dero gazed at him. "i don't want a trick, i want warm." he said, reaching a hand out of his cocoon to grasp Xanthu's shirt gently. "i'll come out if you hold me for a few minutes so i can acclimate to the room temperature." he said. 

Lerus' jaw almost fell to the floor. in a matter of seconds Xanthu had convinced Dero to come out, with zero force. He executed a bow in the direction of Xanthu. "you have already earned my respect, good sir." he said with a smile. "usually it almost takes a crowbar." 

Dero glared at Lerus "get out." he ordered. 

The man obliged, chuckling. "see you both in two hours at the meeting." he called. 

Xanthus quirked an eyebrow when he felt Dero grasp onto his shirt and the fact his manager was praising him then he looked down at Dero for a moment so he could cuddle and get used to the warmth of the room. "Uh...okay..." he spoke awkwardly and watched as Lerus take a walk out. "You know you don't have to get rude." he smirked softly.

Dero blushed. "sorry..." he muttered, slowly climbing out of the blanket and into Xanthu's lap. he was warm, and it mixed with the cooler air of the room and he felt comfortable. that and sitting in the other's lap was very pleasent... it felt... comfortable and right. 

He almost found himself nuzzling the other's chest and stopped himself just before he leaned in. "i get cranky when it comes to the cold." he admitted. "i don't like temperature changes. Thanks for... well..." he blushed a bit more and gestured to the situation. "you should know i wouldn't do this for just anyone. If you want, you can have one of my espressos." 

The redhead lightly reached up to ruffle his hair slightly as Dero got himself comfortable on his lap, inwardly he thanked his lucky stars he dealt with his problem before he changed that morning. 

Then he paused when he looked at the other's right shoulder slightly and he felt a weird sparking feeling in his chest. Gently his fingers ran down the tattoo on his shoulder, a small frown on his face. "A phoenix huh? An ironic piece considering your naga birth." he smirked a little bit, "Just considering you know...birds eat snakes." then he reached over and took one of the espressos and took a sip from it. "Mm."


	5. Advances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Xanthus and Dero have experienced something special... though cautious, Xanthus lets himself start to be drawn towards Dero despite his confusion.

Dero shivered a bit at the gentle touch. "Phoenixes symbolize rebirth... like the second chance i got when i was liberated from Russia. And they burst into flame, and i like fire." he said, his eyes glinting as he looked at Xanthus. "birds and snakes can sometimes get along." he added quietly, watching the other sip at the espresso. He leaned against the redhead's chest and closed his eyes for a moment, more enjoying the closeness than the heat at this point. He knew he should pull away but he _really_ didn't want to. 

Looking down at him again Xanthus sighed softly as he felt his heart start to pound. "Rebirth, renewal, rising from the ashes in their cycle, burst to flame when time to die." he closed his eyes for a moment then looked up at the ceiling. "I'm afraid something like that may not be the fate of mine due to human blood." he muttered more to himself and set the coffee down. He had a bit of a far off look in his olive green eyes as if he had been thinking hard about something lately.

Dero opened his eyes and gazed up at him. "something on your mind?" he asked mildly, shifting slightly, forcing himself to let go of Xanthus slowly so it wouldn't be a cool-shock. plus he really didn't want to let go of him anyway. He didn't comment on the last sentence the redhead had spoken, he didn't have to. The other would talk about his heritage openly when he felt like it. He sat up fully, releasing his grip and staying seated in Xanthus' lap, watching him with a soft look of concerned curiosity on his face. 

"Ah, it's nothing." Xanthus shook his head slightly. "Sorry, I was spacing out..." he murmured softly and rubbed the side of his neck a little bit to give a small yawn, stretching. "I probably said something silly." he gave him a small smirk, truthfully he knew what he said, but he didn't want to completely reveal his heritage yet even though they were practically the same in some ways. Though he felt like his life was settled in as more of a curse rather than a blessing in his mind.

Dero just sat there and watched him. He sensed a deep sadness in him, and hoped he could eventually help and make him happy. He slid off Xanthus' lap at last and gave a little seductive wink and chuckle as he went to the shower, grabbing only a towel to cover himself when he came out. He shut the bathroom door and leaned against it with a sigh. He liked being held by Xanthus, it was comforting and it just... felt so perfect. He shook his head and started the shower. "someday." he said softly, hoping it'd be soon. 

Xanthus paused a little bit when he saw that seductive wink and that light little chuckle come from him as the other had slid off from his lap and to the bathroom. Sighing softly he looked into his empty arms where someone had once been nestled against him for warmth and comfort he supposed. He inhaled a sharp breath as his fingers slid up to clutch his own arms, to hug himself as he felt an old feeling in his heart start to break all over again, that pang of feeling alone.

There was a soft hissing noise as both of the Asps came out from hiding and stared at Xanthus. _you know what's happening don't you?_ came a soft noise from one. _You're falling for him._ said the other. _you can't fight it._ they said together. _it's destined... you've felt the Spark._

Dero stepped into the warm shower and began to clean up. He felt the stirring of his familiars, his family. they could speak to whom they chose to, if they chose... he wondered if they were talking to Xanthus. He shrugged it off and rinsed his hair, then grabbed the body wash. 

Xanthus nearly jumped but he didn't feel as nonplussed when he heard the snakes start hissing and freaking hell even talking to him. He's heard things talk before, creatures like cats and bears. Then he released himself looking to their little glass box frowning. "I don't know what you two are drinking or eating of some hallucinogenic rats, but nothing you're saying sounds like me. I don't even know what this spark is." he snorted softly.

They hissed in amusement. _The SSSpark... you have felt it... those little joltsss running through you when you look at him or touch him... it meansss you are meant to beee_ they hissed softly. _you can deny it all you want... you know deep down we ssspeak the truth._

Dero at that moment walked from the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel on his waist tied quite low, and a towel draped over his shoulders. The snakes retreated to their rocks, saying nothing more as Dero raised an eyebrow at them. He looked to Xanthus and tilted his head a bit. "did they speak to you?" he asked curiously as he made his way to his closet. 

Xanthus glanced at him and blushed slightly looking away, though he was sort of scowling at where the damn vipers had been. "Yeah, but all I heard was 'hiss' this and 'hiss' that." he lied. Spark? Of course he denied it, he wanted to, he didn't want to be in love again. Love was painful. Love for him was betrayal and it made his body tense up a little bit. "...Sorry, I need to go out and get some fresh air." he muttered before making a quick retreat from Dero's trailer to take in some of the morning air.

Dero watched him go with a bit of a sigh. He looked at his pets, his familiars. "what did you two idiots say to him? you scared him didn't you." he said sternly. They poked their heads out. _we told him what he needed to hear.,_ said one. _He musst get over himsself._ said the other. "that may be true but i'd druther him come to me on his own rather than force something and make him feel bad." he said. _thisss coming from the one who conned hiss way into hiss lap earlier._ they said as they retreated. "oh shut up!" he said, his face getting red in embarrassment. He went to his closet and dug around. He pulled out simple black pants and a tight black shirt, throwing his scarf on and giving his familiars one more glare before leaving the trailer to go meet up with someone to get Xanthus his own trailer. The last thing he needed was his familiars to ruin everything before it even started. 

Xanthus had gone to find a private place without anyone poking their noses around and changed forms, bones shaping into smaller sizes to the size of a swan with bright red feathers and golden tail feathers with blue eyes, his own irises were the same olive green. With a burst of air under wing he took off into the air, letting his eyes close as he felt the tunnel of air brush against his plumage while he guided himself through the area as nothing more than a big black speck He still wasn't needed for a few hours, right?

He shook his head and spoke to the man, wondering where Xanthus had gone, but knowing the other male would turn up eventually. He finalized the details about the others trailer, instructing him to find Xanthus and speak to him about it, to know what specifics the new member of the team would like in his trailer, but for now they just would give him something simple and customize-able. He then went to find the tech team, and told them about Xanthus. He'd have preferred it if the other was with him to introduce him properly, but it couldn't be helped. He got the numbers for Xanthus' budget and by that time it was time for the meeting, two hours had flew by. He went to his manager's trailer and glanced around. He hoped Xanthus would return soon so they could discuss everything. 

Xanthus soon returned after his flight, straightening out the strands of hair that would have been rather windswept. When he felt the two hours were up he had touched ground and changed back to normal. Luckily his clothes stayed where they needed to be and his wings and tail feathers disappeared with him. He knocked on the door to the manager's trailer and waited for someone to open it, thinking it was more polite that way.

Lerus answered the door. "ah, just in time. Please come in." he said, stepping aside. Dero looked on, a bit curious but at the same time seeming a bit like he was pouting. He shook it off quickly and waited for Xanthus to be seated before pushing a set of keys across the table. "for your trailer. you can talk to the drivers about customization, anyway you want it." he said calmly. he pushed a checkbook across the table next. "your budget for pyrotechnics." he said. The budget was mindblowingly large. well over 500,000.00$. "you can move into your new trailer before the show tonight." he said brusquely. 

Xanthus picked up the checkbook and had stared at the numbers, eyes becoming as wide as platters, that...was a big budget. He swallowed past the lump in his throat as the feeling of expectations weighed on his shoulders now. Certainly with this big of a budget they were really wanting him to pull something spectacular out of his ass. He heard about the trailer and nodded taking the keys. "Customization..." he muttered to himself. "Right..." truth was he really didn't have much to really fit for his trailer...maybe when he checked the inside to see his size maybe he'd think about it. Dero was a star and usually stars got the bigger ones. "I see..." his eyes landed on the budget again and he felt that tight feeling go into his throat.

Dero eyed him. "everyone here gets a trailer customized to their liking." he said calmly. "depending on the sort of environment you like." he glanced to Lerus, who cleared his throat. "the matter of the show tonight." he said to Xanthus. "you're not expected to have anything set up at this location, watch the show tonight, talk with Dero and learn his songs, from there you should be able to figure out some pyrotechnics by the next location, at least minor ones. we'll slowly build up as we go along." he said. He glanced at his watch. "speaking of, Dero you need to go to the makeup and wardrobe trailer rather soon." he said. Dero nodded "i know." he said calmly, keeping his gaze on the table. "i have to practice that new song again." he said. "i was shaky last night." 

He rose an eyebrow as he looked at Dero, a bit surprised that he looked like he was annoyed or even pouting, at least that's what he felt like was going on. "I see...I'll do my best learning and understanding songs tonight." he muttered though he felt something sour in his stomach, did him taking off for air really piss Dero off that much? He sighed softly and looked away. If that was true, he could just chalk it up to the number of people who probably hated him.

Dero looked at Xanthus at last, and instead of hatred or anger, there was a bit of sadness and longing in them. Xanthus would have to learn that Dero was very slow to anger, and he had a very distinct difference between his work world and his personal life. It was clear he wanted Xanthus in both, but he was afraid to scare the other away. He finally stood up and nodded to them both. "i'm gonna go practice a bit, then head to makeup and wardrobe. see you later." he said, forcing a smile as he left. Lerus glanced to Xanthus. "he's not mad, if that's what you think." he said quietly. "i don't know what's going on with you and him, but he's just like this when he's in work mode. don't let it get to you." 

"Not trying to..." he trailed off. "You know think like that, won't let it get to me." he looked at the budget he had then looked at Lerus. "Thanks for the information...I'll go head and look around the area if that's alright..." he stood up. "Thanks for the mention of the budget and everything, look forward to working with you." he spoke calmly before heading out to walk around the trailers, but a small nagging in his mind pushing him to go see if he could find Dero for a while.

Dero was in his trailer, the strains of the guitar could be heard probably all the way out to his manager's trailer. He was sitting on a stool in front of his bed, his leg propped up on one of the stool rungs, his eyes closed, head tilted down and to the side slightly as he sang the clear notes and words of a ballad in Russian, the tone both deep and high at the same time, and quite hypnotizing. Imagining how it would sound with the entire band backing him up was intriguing, as there were things clearly missing despite how nice the song sounded. 

Blinking the redhead paused as he opened the door to the trailer silently when he heard the words filter out. Moving himself up onto the stairs he shut the door quietly when he stepped inside, sitting down near the stair so he could lean against where the handrail was and close his eyes while he listened to the hypnotizing melody sung in such clear notes. It was almost a shame he didn't know Russian.

the song ended and Dero opened his eyes, reaching forward to a music stand in front of him to adjust something. He strummed a few notes and nodded, then sighed, setting his guitar aside for a moment to reach for a water bottle. He sipped at it, then looked at the notebook sitting next to him, on which was written the beginnings of another song. It was quite rough and he still didn't' have a melody. He added another line to that and grabbed a bite of some bread and cheese sitting next to him before reaching for his guitar once more. He longed to have Xanthus at his feet as he played, or lounging behind him. He shook his head, trying to focus, and began to play again.

Xanthus leaned back where he was and closed his eyes looking up at the ceiling of the trailer. "I am a poor...wayfaring stranger...." he sang more or less to himself. "Just traveling through this world of woe." he exhaled softly picking at his nails a little bit. "Yet there's no sickness...toil or danger. In that fair land to which I go." again he tried to keep his singing voice down to let Dero concentrate, since this was his practice and not Xanthus' he was just the pyrotechnics guy, not a singer.

Dero paused, switching the grip on his guitar around a bit and continuing to play, but his voice petered off and the music changed to go on with the soft melody he was hearing from Xanthus, just now realizing the other male was actually here. His eyes were closed and he smiled slightly, enjoying the sound of his voice and playing the guitar for him.


End file.
